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What Actually Cause Bowed Legs and Knock-Knees

When one talks about bow legs what immediately comes to mind is that distinctive bend or curve in the shape of the legs. While standing upright with the ankles of both feet touching, one finds it virtually impossible to get one's knees to touch each other. Bow legs is medically known as genu varum, and involves a bent or curved shin bone and thigh bone, resulting in a curved leg.

All babies are born with bow legs due to the way they are forced to remain curled up within the mother's womb. Most of these babies grow out of it naturally. Of course, those who don't lose their bow legs in the first 3 years of growth, can end up living with it all their lives. This can become increasingly troublesome and eventually even lead to one developing arthritis due to the damage caused by using joints that are continuously under strain.

It's important to understand what causes bow legs in the first place. Knowing the causes can certainly aid in deciding what options you may want to choose from as a remedy for the condition. Bow legs can be caused by various factors, such as the lack of vitamin D, Blount's disease, under-nourishment, a history of broken bones and fractures, or even poisoning by lead or fluoride.

Dietary deficiency
Children who do not get sufficient exercise often lack vitamin D. This is not surprising, as the lack of exercise usually correlates to the fact that the child is not getting enough exposure to outdoor activities or the outdoors. Playing around just ten minutes in the sun can allow a child to absorb their entire recommended daily quota of vitamin D from the sun's rays.

This is needed for proper growth and for the development of bones in particular. What's more, when a child plays, especially outdoors, they tend to develop a rather healthy appetite. This, in turn, helps in encouraging the child to eat healthily and enjoy a varied diet that is essential for the proper growth and development of the body.

Accidents in childhood
No matter how careful one is with their children, things are not always in one's control, especially when dealing with toddlers. During the early years of development, a child is bound to bump into things, fall down, and sometimes even get bruised and cut, while learning to walk and deal with their surroundings. Of course, unfortunately, there are even times when things get out of hand and the child actually ends up with a fracture.

If this fracture is not taken care of properly, this simple accident could prove expensive as the child develops and the broken bone starts growing with an incorrect direction and shape. If left unattended, this child could end up with bow legs as an adult, just because the bone once broken was not treated properly and lacked proper medical attention!


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